Water users organize to stem copper thefts in county

If it isn't already, Yuma County will soon be dealing with copper theft from construction and well water sties, the police chief of Coolidge, told a gathering of Yuma area farmers, law enforcement officers and water officials Thursday morning.

Chief James Palmer said that problem has plagued Pinal County the past five years.

Palmer said Pinal County farmers estimate that thieves stealing copper wiring from water well and irrigation pumps have cost them about $10 million in damage.

"The price of copper is so high now that it has become a lucrative item for thieves to go after," Palmer told The Sun later. "It also, unfortunately, happens to be very easy to get."

The thefts, indeed, are a growing problem in Yuma County, according to Jack Simes, spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Yuma, which organized Thursday's meeting.

Within the past couple of months, there have been at least a half-dozen thefts of copper wiring and other metal from well sites and irrigation pumps in Yuma County, Simes said.

Sheriff's Maj. Leon Wilmot said well sites and irrigation are among a variety of targets of "scrappers" - people who steal metal for purpose of recycling. Other targets include buildings under construction and irrigation pipes in fields, he said.

"You name it, anything having to do with copper or aluminum," Wilmot said.

Scrap metal stolen in the Yuma area typically is being taken to Mexico for recycling, he said, because a new state law requires metal dealers to record the identity of sellers of metals worth more than $25.

Thursday's meeting, which focused on ways to address the problems of copper thefts and to help prevent it, was held by the Yuma County Water Users Association and organized by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Palmer explained that copper wiring helps power the water systems that irrigate agriculture fields. And that copper thieves are doing $25,000 to $50,000 worth of damage to water and irrigation well pumps for a few hundred dollars worth of copper, which is a fraction of what it is worth.

"It is the most insidious type of crime I have ever seen in my career," Palmer said. "The losses some farmer experienced forced them to quit using ground water. After getting hit and repairing and getting hit again they decided to buy their water from irrigation district, which made their products cost more for us to buy."

According to the USBR's Simes, there are literally thousands of agriculture and household water well pumps throughout Yuma County, and some of the water well pumps have to run 24 hours a day.

What these copper thieves do, Palmer said, is go to these well sites, which are usually in remote areas, and strip the copper wiring from the water well pump and the electronic control box.

"It's a progressive type of crime. If they stop there, the damage is minimal, which is still hundreds of dollars to repair, though," Palmer said. "But the thieves are usually there after the transformer because that is where the money is."

Then, if they have time, the thieves will pull the transformers, which provide power to the wells, from off the top of the power poles and break into them for the copper coils.

But it just isn't the theft of the copper that is creating problems for the farmers. Palmer said more extensive property damage can occur such as fences being torn down and the carcinogenic oil from inside the transformers being spilled onto the ground.

"When we catch these thieves, they are usually out there with these huge bolt cutters and hacksaws," Palmer said. "Sometimes it is days or weeks before the farmer knows the damage has been done because a lot of these pumps are self-operating."

In one instance about three years ago, Palmer said, copper thieves actually pulled down 1,000 feet of an overhead power line to get the copper out of it, knocking out power to part of the town.

As of September 2007, Arizona has made it harder for thieves to sell their copper. Scrap dealers must keep copies on file of every purchase that include the date and time of transaction, a photograph and an identifying description of the material, the dollar amount of the transaction and a photocopy of the seller's driver's license.

Also scrap dealers cannot provide payment for the metal at the time of the transaction. Instead, the dealer must mail a check to the seller's physical address. Also, all transaction records are submitted to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.